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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, Father Harold Rahm is being honored as the inaugural |
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Segundo Barrio Person of the Year by the Sacred Heart Jesuit Parish |
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on the occasion of his return visit to El Paso in May 2015; and |
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WHEREAS, A Tyler native, Father Rahm made an indelible |
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imprint on South El Paso while serving as an assistant pastor at |
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Sacred Heart Church from 1952 to 1964; the area was beset by poverty |
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and gang warfare at the time, but he worked tirelessly to improve |
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conditions and help young people turn away from destructive paths; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Father Rahm established Our Lady's Youth Center and |
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persuaded gang members to work out their aggression in the boxing |
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ring instead of the streets; the facility also offered other |
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sports, as well as music, bands, theater, and free lunches; in |
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addition, he founded the Guadalupe Employment Office, the Guadalupe |
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Thrift Store, the Guadalupe Way of Life Homes, the Tepeyac Credit |
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Union, and Camp Juan Diego, which provided children with |
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opportunities to swim, play games, and take lessons in arts and |
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crafts; earning the nickname "the Bicycle Padre," Father Rahm rode |
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his bike every morning to deliver breakfast to the homes of the |
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elderly; and |
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WHEREAS, By the time he left for a ministry in Brazil, Father |
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Rahm had created a strong foundation for further progress, and |
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parishioners continued his good works and taught younger |
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generations to follow his example; his legacy lives on through |
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various nonprofit organizations, including the youth center, now |
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known as Las Alas, and Centro de Salud Familiar La Fe, which was |
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started by local mothers as the Father Rahm Information and |
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Referral Services Center; and |
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WHEREAS, Today, a mural on Father Rahm Street depicts this |
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beloved clergyman on his bicycle, and his image is also included in |
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a mural at La Fe Health Clinic; although Father Rahm has been |
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working in Brazil for decades, the impact of his service in El Paso |
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continues to resonate in that community, and this accolade is |
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indeed a fitting tribute to his accomplishments; now, therefore, be |
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it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 84th Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate Father Harold Rahm on his selection |
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as the Segundo Barrio Person of the Year for 2015 and recognize him |
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for his enduring contributions to El Paso; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Father Rahm as an expression of high regard by the |
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Texas House of Representatives. |
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Márquez |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 2716 was adopted by the House on May |
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21, 2015, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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